Estudios Churubusco is one of the oldest and largest
movie studio
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
s in
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
. It is located in the
Churubusco neighborhood of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
.
History
It was inaugurated in 1945 after a 1943 agreement between
RKO and
Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta
Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta (2 March 1895, Tampico, Tamaulipas – 23 September 1972, Mexico City) was a Mexican businessman who built an entertainment conglomerate.
The son of Basque immigrants Mariano Azcárraga and Emilia Vidaurreta, ...
(of
Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
). In 1950 it was acquired by the
government of Mexico
The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...
and merged with Estudios y Laboratorios Azteca to form Estudios Churubusco Azteca. Since 1958 it has been controlled by the government of Mexico. Of the four motion picture studios during the
golden age of Mexican cinema
The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...
—the others were
Estudios America,
Estudios San Angel and
Estudios Tepeyac—it and Televisa San Angel (the former Estudios San Angel) are still in operation.
It is estimated that 95% of the films produced in Mexico since 2000 have used many of the services the studio provides. Among the films shot at the Estudios Churubusco were
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, and Krist ...
(1989),
Amores perros
''Amores perros'' is a 2000 Mexican psychological drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Guillermo Arriaga, based on a story by them both. ''Amores perros'' is the first installmen ...
, nominee for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1999), and
Frida
''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as Kahl ...
(2001).
In 2017, Estudios Churubusco celebrated its 72nd anniversary by opening the facility to the public for the first time so they could learn more about the studios and its many film achievements.
[Government of Mexico, Anuncian La Exposicion La Fabrica de Cine Estudios Churubusco, 1945-2017, https://www.gob.mx/cultura/prensa/anuncian-la-exposicion-la-fabrica-de-cine-estudios-churubusco-1945-2017]
Selected films
References
External links
* Watch a
1990 "making-of" documentary about the production of ''
Total Recall'' at Estudios Churubusco.
{{Coord, 19.35551, N, 99.14284, W, source:placeopedia, display=title
RKO General
1945 establishments in Mexico
1950 mergers and acquisitions
Mexican film studios
State-owned film companies
Golden Ariel Award winners
Coyoacán